Wireless communication systems are becoming increasingly applications oriented. Applications communicate end-to-end via wired links and over-the-air (OTA) links between a subscriber unit and another device, such as a server, a controller, or another subscriber unit. Depending upon the location of the subscriber unit, the capacity of the OTA links can vary widely.
As a result, applications generally format their data assuming the lowest expected link capacity. Alternatively, applications can use a more voluminous format, but a high latency penalty results when a slow link happens to be used. As wireless communication systems develop further into higher speeds, it is expected that even greater variations in link capacity and link quality will be encountered.
Thus, what is needed is a method and apparatus in a wireless communication system that can dynamically format application data to be transmitted, in response to variations in link capacity and quality. Preferably, the method and apparatus will consider transmission cost and reliability, as well as transmission time, and will be user-customizable.